Mediating Role of Spiritual Wellbeing in the Relationship Between Cognitive Flexibility and Metacognitive Beliefs of Students

Background and

The critical position of spirituality and spiritual wellbeing has drastically been recognized in recent decades, and cognitive flexibility and metacognitive beliefs play an essential role in health-related behaviors. The present study investigated the mediating role of spiritual wellbeing between cognitive flexibility and the students’ metacognitive beliefs. 

The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all students of Islamic Azad University, Sari branch, Sari City, Iran, in the 2022-2023 academic year. A total of 364 students were selected by stratified random sampling based on their education level and were asked to answer the questionnaires about spiritual wellbeing (Palotzian and Ellison, 1982), cognitive flexibility (Dennis and Vanderwaal, 2010), and metacognitive beliefs (Wells and Cartwright-Houghton, 2004). Data analysis was done by structural equation modeling using SPSS software, version 24 and AMOS software, version 23.

In this study, 69% of the participants were women and 31% were men. About 57% were 25 years or younger, 63% were undergraduate students, 30% were postgraduate (Master’s degree), and 7% were PhD students. The results indicated that all direct paths between study variables were significant (P<0.01). The relationships of the indirect paths were significant through the mediating role of spiritual wellbeing (P<0.01).

According to the research results, spiritual wellbeing mediates cognitive flexibility and metacognitive beliefs in university students. Thus, it is possible to design special programs in order to improve metacognitive beliefs and strengthen cognitive flexibility through spiritual health.